Display sign



July 21, 19736. W H, SCOTT 2,048,628

DISPLAY SIGN original Filed July 5, 1955 Ml E* ATTORNEY Patented July 2l, l1936 PATENT oFF-ICE :maar: nrsmr sicu walter' n. smc, chingo, m., mmm u John L. Berggren, Chicago, lll.

continuum r application semi. No. stains, .my 5, 193s. 4'rms sppucsson Mms 17, 193s,

. Serial No. 69,418

8 `Claims.

This is a 'continuation of application No. 679,103, flied July 5, 1933.

The object of the invention is 'to provide a display sign in which the display medium is of rotary form and electrically actuated without being in direct contact with the actuating means;

to provide asi'gn particularly adaptable for use in connection with oil or iuel dispensing pumps,

so that the display element may serve as a meansA oi attracting attention to the samei to provide a construction-which provides for the quick and easy change of the rate of movement oi.' the display element; and generally to provide, in a sign construction ofthe kind indicated, a display element and attendant actuating means which are oi' simple form, Vsusceptible oi cheap manufacture and ota character which may be reasonably expected to continue in `operation withoutlikelihood oi damage, unless intentionally stopped.

With this object in view, the invention consists in a construction and combination of parts of which a preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawing but to which embodiment the invention is not to be restricted. Continued use inpractice may dictate certain changes or alterations and the right is' claimed to make any which fall'within the. scope o! the annexed claims.

In thedrawing:

Figure 1 is a top pian view of a. construction in which the invention is incorporated, this ligure being partly broken away. r 1

Figure 2 is a sectional view on. the plane indiestes by the une 2 2 of Figure 1.

In the illustrated embodiment of thef invention, the rotary display element lil is inthe form of an axially tapering dru'm and is disposed centrally within a case composed of a base Il and 'cap I2A secured together butin spaced `relation by spacer posts Il, screws i5 being .thxeaded'into the ends of thel posts with their heads bearing on The rdisplay element`or drum l0 igs-.diigned for rotation within the housing defined by the members Il, I2 and I1 andf.ycomprise's'-a top plate Il and a translucent screenll,which constitutes the cylindrical surfaceot the drum and" which is preferably made of distinctively colored strips arranged in spiral form. The screen 2l is bound, as indicated at 2l, at the-lower edge and the top plate I9 is slit radially with the material comprehended between the slits de- 5 ilected from the normal plane of the plate to provide blades 22.

The plate i9 at the center is provided with a small casting or forging 23 of the general form of a bonnet nut boredirom the under face, to 10 provide a socket in which is received the tapered or conical end`24 of .a stem 2'6, the latter beingy adjustably supported in a wire yoke trame 26 of which thel wire strand forming it is extended into loops 21 which may embrace the globular l5 portion o! anelectric iightbulb. The loops 21 preferably having a spring tendency towards each other, sothat when, they are engaged with a lamp globe the yoke frame is maintained -in an upright position together with the stem 25.' Nuts 20 29 constitute. the means for axial adjustment oi' thev stem and its locking in any adjusted position, the stem being exterioriy threaded.

. The drum III constituting the 'display' element is bound near the upper edge and exterioriy there- 25 of with a continuous wire strand til. preferably in several convolutions and this constitutes the winding oi' one of the elementsoi an electric motor of which the drum l0 is the rotor. The -wirestrand forming the winding is o! a; material of 30 high magnetic retentivity; it isfo! 'the character of piano wire, a comparatively steel in'which magnetic polarity will notv decay rapidly. The stator of such motor consists of a laminated core Il on which is an exciting coil I2, the core terminating inpoles Il and 3l, both lof, which have shading coils in the form of non-magnetic ,metallic strips embracing them from the center to one side thereof. the shading coils on the two poles being oppositely disposed. The stator is mounted on `a right-singularly formed bracket plate Il to which it is secured by means ofscrews 31 and with respect to which it is adiustable by reason of the slots 38 through .which the /frews extend. The bracket plate 36 is secured by/means 4 of a bolt It, with the pendent extremity of a hanger strip Il), the 'latter being secured to the cap I2 by means of bolts Il and spanning a central opening l2 in the cap, there being disposed '50 on topv ofthe cap and held in place bythe bolts A Il, a globe holder 43 designed to enclose an electric lamp mountedin the' socket 44 which is secured to the hanger strip 40 bymeans Iof bolts Il. 'I'he globe holder 43 is formed with an open- 55 ing in the center corresponding in diameter with the opening 42.

The lamp 28 is mounted in a plug socket 46 seated in the socket 41 which is secured to the base at the center, the base being designed for mounting on the top of a post or pump. The plug socket 4B is formed with a current tap, so that a prong plug 48 may be readily inserted therein to provide a means of supply for the stator and for the socket 44, as by means of a twin conductor 4S terminally connected to the prongs of the plug and to the terminals of the stator windings and the terminals of the socket 44.

When the switch is closed to energize the socket 4l, the lamp 28 is lighted and the stator is likewise energized, as well as any lamp carried in the socket 44. An alternating current field is .set up by the stator and inductively affects the winding 3U on the drum I0, setting up a current therein. In the stator, however, continuously changing directions of current in the winding 32 affect opposite sides of the poles 33 and 34 differently, the magnetic flux on those sides of the poles carrying the shading coils building up later than on the opposite sides and decaying in like manner. The eddy currents circulating in the winding' set up a magnetic field of their own which is acted upon by the continuously changing magnetic eld of the poles 33 and 34, so that rotation oi the drum is thereby effected. blades 22 formed in the top plate I9 of the drum will also be acted upon by a current of air passing from the bottom upwardly through the drum, by reason of the heating eiect of the lamp 28 and this upwardly moving current together with the driving effect of the stator field on the drum, will keep the latter constantly in motion, so long as the circuit is closed on the lamp 28.

Changes in the rate of rotation may be effected by adjusting the stator toward or away from the drum, by loosening the screws 3'1 and resetting the stator on the bracket plate at a point which provides for the proper rate of drum rotation.

The use of a material of high magnetic retentivity as above stated for the rotor winding makes for high efciency in an appliance oi this land in that for a given speed and torque, the stator absorption of power is a minimumthat is, a high torque at a minimum oi power consumption in the stator is secured,

Changes in the speed oirotation may also be ei-ected by varying the position o the iield coil and core with reference to a horizontal plane, this variation being eiiected by adjustment of bracket 35 on the screw 53S as a pivot, after loosenthe screw; This adjustment also provides for change in direction of rotation of the drum by adjusting the Afield coil and core to angular positions on opposite sides of the screw 39, the one position resulting in rotation in one direction and the other position causing rotation in the opposite direction.

The invention having been described, what is claimed as new and useful is:

l. A device oi the kind indicated comprising a rotary member, a metallic ring embracing said member, and an alternating current eld winding and core provided with shaded poles disposed adjacent said ring and being bodily adjustable on an axis disposed radially of said ring.

2. A device of the kind indicated comprisingra The rotary member, a metallic ring embracing said member, and alternating current iield winding and core provided with shaded poles disposed adjacent said ring, a support for said field winding and core, and means for bodily adjusting said eld winding and core on said support on an axis disposed radially of said ring.

3. A device of the kind indicated comprising a rotary drum having a centrally disposed pivot bearing, a metallic ring embracing said drum, an alternating current iield winding and core provided with shaded poles disposed adjacent said ring, a fixed bracket plate on which the field winding and core are carried, and screws passing through slots in the bracket plate and engaging the core to adjust the core radially towards and away from the ring, the bracket plate comprising iixed and adjustable members of which the latter carries the core and is adjustable around an axis disposed radially of the ring.

4. A device of the kind indicated comprising a rotary drum having a centrally disposed pivot bearing, a metallic ring embracing the drum, an alternating current field winding and core provided with shaded poles disposed adjacent said ring, a bracket plate by which said winding and core are carried, and a iixed support for said bracket plate, the latter having a single screw securing it to the support and constituting means to permit bodily adjustment of the winding and core with a fixed point on the support as a pivot, the screw retaining the winding and core in any of its adjusted positions.

5. A device of the kind indicated comprising a rotary member, a metallic ring embracing the same, and an alternating current field winding and core provided with shaded poles disposed adjacent said ring and bodily adjustable to invert its position with reference to the ring to effect rotation of the drum in either direction.

6. A device of the kind indicated comprising a rotary member, a metallic ring embracing the same, and an alternating current eld winding and core provided with shaded poles disposed adjacent said ring and bodily adjustable to invert its position with reference to the ring to eilect rotation of the drum in either direction, said winding and core being adjustable to assume intermediate positions between its extreme positions to vary the speed of the rotary member.

7. A device of the kind indicated comprising a rotary member, a ring of magnetic material of high magnetic retentivity disposed in surrounding relation to and carried by the rotary member,

and an alternating current field winding and core disposed adjacent said ring at its periphery, the core having poles provided with means to create a magnetic lag at one side thereof.

8. A device. of the kind indicated comprising a rotary member, a strand of wire wound in a plurality o convolutions around said member with the convolutions in approximate lateral contact but with the extremities of the wire unconnected, the wire being of magnetic material of a high degree of magnetic retentivity, and an alternating current field winding and core disposed adjacent the periphery of the rotary member at the location of the convolutions of the strand, the

core having poles provided with means to create a magnetic lag at one side thereof.

WALTER H. SCO'I'I. 

